1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering lock device which is applied to a vehicle such as an automobile or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicles such as automobiles and the like are equipped with, as an antitheft device, a so-called steering lock device which is mounted to, for example, the steering column of the vehicle.
In a conventional steering lock device, for example, a key rotor of a key cylinder, and a lock bar which locks the steering shaft, are structured so as to be mechanically interlocked via a gear or the like. The key cylinder, the lock bar, the gear, and the like are disposed coaxially in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the steering column. Therefore, the steering lock device itself projects out greatly from the steering column, and a problem arises in that there are many constraints on the design of the outer shape of the column cover which covers the periphery of the steering column.
On the other hand, there is also a steering lock device of a type in which the key cylinder and the lock bar are disposed parallel (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2000-211479). However, in the steering lock device disclosed in this JP-A No. 2000-211479, the key cylinder is disposed further toward the side opposite the steering column than the proximal end portion of the lock bar. Therefore, the amount by which the steering lock device projects out from the steering column on the whole is large, and a problem arises in that there are many constraints on the design of the outer shape of the column cover.